Google Street View Takes You On A Royal Caribbean Allure Of The Seas Cruise

Listen up, land lubbers, you don't need to be a swashbuckling pirate to enjoy the high seas, and you certainly shouldn't let a potentially queasy stomach stop you from enjoying the ocean. In this day and age of the Internet, you can set sail without setting foot on a ship thanks to a joint collaboration between Royal Caribbean International and Google, the latter of which is providing its Street View technology to the cruise line.

As such, Royal Caribbean International becomes the first cruise line to launch a Google Maps Business View using Google's Street View technology. While anyone can use it, the primary intent is to offer potential customers a fun and interactive way to plan their vacations.

"Business View allows people all over the world to explore a range of businesses and organizations in great detail in just a few clicks," said Deborah Schenker - Program Manager at Google UK, "You can check out anything from restaurants to aircraft in Google Maps, and now for the first time you can sail the seas too with the first ever cruise ship coming on board."

Just a few clicks will have you virtually traversing the various decks of the Allure of the Seas. You can check out the Royal Promenade, a boulevard that runs almost the entire length of the ship, or Central Park, an outdoor park longer than a football field with over 12,000 live plants and trees. There's also the Boardwalk with a hand-crafted carousel and two rock-climbing walls, and AquaTheater, a high-dive aquatic performance venue with the deepest pool at sea, along with many other attractions.

It's quite a feat what Royal Caribbean International and Google accomplished. The virtual tour consists of more than 20,000 images taken over the course of 60 man hours and eight days. A basic DSLR using a fisheye lens and a panoramic head resting on the tripod captured the ship, which stands 240 feet high and can accommodate more guest per sailing than the capacity of the Royal Albert Hall (5,544).